Davos Does Not Approve of Child Burning
by The Cowgirl Bookworm
Summary: Davos has always had a problem with obeying his king when it comes to killing children. Straight up fluff, and a continuing AU in which Davos gets a daughter, and Stannis gets an empty victory.
1. Chapter 1

Davos usually intended his crimes. Smuggling, stealing, pilfering, all he intended to do.

Kidnapping had come on a whim.

He had merely meant to visit briefly with the little princess, to give her the wooden stag he'd patiently carved for her during this terrible winter storm. Half her face had lit up, and when she had kissed his cheek, tickling his whiskers, he felt as proud of her as he had any of his sons. Marya had always wanted a daughter, but their lot in life seemed to be sons, seven, now three after the Blackwater. If he had a daughter though, he would have wanted it to be Shireen. Smart, kind, and always trying to help when she could.

He would have had to blind, deaf, and dumb not to see the way the red witch looked at the child, always whispering. "King's blood, the power it holds is enough to win a war." Always fire and blood with her, and it was always whispered to Stannis. Her eyes flashed with desire every time she looked at the child, and he knew flames were dancing in her eyes. He'd trusted Stannis not to give in, but his king had begun to look haggard, between the winter and the constant whispering, something in him was breaking.

Davos didn't want Shireen around when it did.

So when her bright little face turned up to his, asking if she could go to the Wall with him, he betrayed his king. "Of course! I'll even teach you to carve that doe on the way."

"Did Father say yes?"

Davos bit his tongue. "He says we must be quiet about it, that your lady mother is scared of what might happen in the storm."

"I'm sure I'll be alright with you!"

He reached down and patted her head, feeling the hardness of half her face on his shortened fingers. He helped her gather a few books, wrapping them in extra blankets and cloaks before stuffing them in saddlebags. Davos stuck his head out of the tent, making sure most of the soldiers had trundled off. The princess's guards knew that he was a favorite of hers, and must have wandered off to take a piss. So he hustled the girl onto his horse, slung the bags over, then climbed up himself. He flung his cloak over the girl, settling it over his horse's flanks so that she was almost invisible. Her voice piped out from behind, "It's just like in the books, when Ser Taren saves Lady Hallel."

Davos didn't know what story she spoke of, but instead clucked his horse up to a canter as he made his way out of camp. No soldier looked his way, most of them focused on holding off the cold that was settling down into their bones. He kept twitching his hand back, trying to pull the cloak father around the little princess.

He didn't relax until they'd put miles between the camp and themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

One man moved faster than an army, and Davos practically flew back across the broken path of snow the army had created. The Wall loomed closer and closer, but it was still days before they reached the gates of Castle Black. A member of the Night's Watch came out to hold his horse and allow him to dismount. He helped the princess down, wrapped securely in her own cloak. She moved slowly, cold and saddle sore. But she still smiled when she saw the only other woman in this place. "Gilly!"

The wildling shifted the babe on her hip. "What are you back for?"

"Davos brought me, I wanted to come see you again!" Shireen turned back to the saddle bags that were being removed from the horse. She tried to open them with numb fingers. "We need to work on your reading."

The big man, Sam, quickly showed up beside her. "That can wait, go get warmed up." He gave her a little shove towards Gilly, who quickly took the princess inside.

Davos watched her go, a tension he had carried for days leaving him slightly. "You never saw us Tarly, that's what you'll tell them when they come."

Sam had already started back for the castle, the cold sneaking through his quilted doublet. "They, Ser Davos?" Davos waited until they'd sat, a mug of warm mulled wine in his hands. He hadn't realized he'd been so cold until he felt himself thawing. Then he told him what had happened, how he had stolen Shireen away from the camp to save her. How there were probably soldiers coming after them, ready to drag him back to face justice. Sam listened to everything, refilling their drinks when needed. "Where do you intend to go?"

"Braavos? Dorne? Someplace where she'd be safe."

"I meant after here."

"Eastwatch. They'll have boats, even just a small fishing one. I'd take her down the coast, hole up in White Harbor and maybe find something bigger, and then keep going."

"Jon could order one of their boats to take you down."

"It's bad enough me coming here, those men outside will talk when those soldiers come. The less you're involved the better, and as far as you and Gilly know, you never saw us. I came in, rested for awhile, and then left down the road to Shadow Tower." Davos had worked that out, knowing that he'd be able to outdistance the soldiers on the sea, not the land. He was a terrible horseman, but a good sailor.

* * *

They'd only stayed for a few days, before leaving with fresh food and a second horse for the princess. He'd left Stannis' scroll with Sam, who would give it to Jon. His duty to Stannis was done, now he had to get Shireen away. But when they turned east instead of south, the princess balked. "Father is south, not east, Ser Davos."

He moved his horse up by her, reaching for her hand clumsily. "We're not going back to your father."

"Why?"

"He was going to burn you, I heard the Red Woman saying to, and he was sending me away because I'd be the only one to stop him."

"You can't know that for sure."

He squeezed her hand. "I wasn't going to let him have the chance. I'm going to take you somewhere safe, away from _her_ and where we can wait out the war. I'll never let her burn you, Princess."

He could see a few tears in her eyes. "I thought he'd stop at me. He burned my uncle, that wildling, but not me."

"The man I knew would, but I don't know him any more."

So together, they turned their horses east, ready to run farther and farther away.


	3. Chapter 3

The castellan of Eastwatch-by-the-sea was fairly suspicious when Davos showed up. Shireen had pulled her cloak's hood up far enough that it hid her face, and she stayed behind him, ready to duck under his cloak in case she needed to hide. Davos was currently engaged in trading their horses and saddles for one of the Watch's fishing boats and some smoked fish. The castellan finally agreed, taking three silver stags and promising to have the boat and fish prepared for him in the morning. Davos spoke before he could fully leave. "Would it be possible to send a raven south, for a few more coins?"

The castellan nodded. "I'll have the maester come down." He held out a hand. "Two more stags."

Davos dropped the coins into his palm, then settled down with Shireen before a fire. It had seemed like the girl could never get warm enough out on the road, and now she still shivered a little bit on the hard stone. He pulled the small piece of wood he'd picked for her and handed it over. It was beginning to look vaguely like a dow, the legs and head blocky instead of smooth. But she was just beginning, and he liked watching her scrape at it with the small knife she had.

Shireen looked up from her carving. "Are you sure we can't stay here?"

"Eastwatch is the smallest castle, they would notice you in an instant. Your father has probably put out a reward for your return, and a lordship for my head." Davos turned the carving around, and took her hand to show her how to smooth the flanks of the deer.

"I'd hate whoever got that lordship." She muttered, repeating his motion.

"Well, thank you for that." He chuckled. "Would you be willing to write this letter for me?" She nodded, and he fetched a scrap of parchment from the castellan's desk along with a quill and ink.

"Is it to the Iron Bank again?"

He smiled. "No, my wife. Marya."

"She sounds pretty, like Jonquil."

"She's all that and more. I want you to write that she should take the boys, get them on the _Golden Onion_ , and sail up to White Harbor. We'll meet her there." He watched as her quill scratched away at the parchment.

"The _Golden Onion_?"

"If I recall correctly, that was the one you named." He grinned, remembering how she had kept suggesting names for his new ship. There had been so many fancy names, several Targaryen kings, and finally the _Golden Onion_. Davos had declared that he loved it, and she was officially the Hand of the Master of Ships. Shireen rolled it up into a small tube, and he took it to the desk to seal it. The master came, and he directed him to send it to Cape Wrath.

He spent the rest of the night with the princess, carving.


End file.
